Kit Harington to Play Gilderoy Lockhart in 'Harry Potter' Season 2 (2026-08-25)
Kit Harington replaces Nicholas Hoult as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter series Season 2, due to scheduling issues.
HBO has confirmed that Kit Harington will join the cast of its upcoming 'Harry Potter' series for Season 2, taking on the role of Gilderoy Lockhart. The announcement was made via HBO Max's official social media channels, revealing that Nicholas Hoult, originally cast in the part, had to step down due to scheduling conflicts.
According to reports, Hoult's prior commitments clashed with the revised production schedule for Lockhart's scenes, making it impossible for him to continue. HBO subsequently approached Harington, who was available and had a personal connection to the character—he previously voiced Lockhart in the 'Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions' released last year.
In a featurette for those audio editions, Harington spoke about his long-time love for J.K. Rowling's books, recalling that he was the same age as Harry when the first novel came out. "I read it, and like so many generations, I was entranced, and then I was a huge fan all through my teenage years," he said.
Lockhart, a vain and fame-obsessed wizard known for his Memory Charms, is a key figure in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', the second book in the series. He was previously portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation.
Season 2 of the series was greenlit in May and is set to begin filming this fall, ahead of the Christmas premiere of Season 1, titled 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. The show will air on HBO and stream exclusively on HBO Max.
The cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Returning actors include Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.
Francesca Gardiner serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Mark Mylod executive producing and directing multiple episodes. Jon Brown, a writer from Season 1, has been promoted to co-showrunner for Season 2.
For Harington, this marks his third HBO series, following his iconic role as Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones' and his current part in 'Industry'.